SATCAT no. 08366 Launch site Cape Canaveral LC-17B Period 24 hours Launch date 16 October 1975 | COSPAR ID 1975-100A Spacecraft type SMS Apogee 36.458 million m Rocket Delta 2000 | |
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Similar GOES 3, GOES 2, GOES 5, GOES 7, GOES 4 | ||
GOES 1, designated GOES-A and SMS-C prior to entering service, was a weather satellite operated by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It was the first Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite to be launched.
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Launch
GOES-A was launched atop a Delta 2914 from Launch Complex 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch occurred at 22:40:00 UTC on October 16, 1975, and left the satellite in a geosynchronous transfer orbit. Following launch, it raised itself to a geostationary orbit by means of its onboard SVM-5 apogee motor, at which time it was redesignated GOES 1.
Operations
It was positioned over the Indian Ocean to gather data for the Global Atmospheric Research Programme. GOES 1 was equipped with a Visible Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer, or VISSER, which provided day and night imagery of terrestrial cloud conditions. It returned its first image on October 25, 1975, nine days after launch. The satellite continuously monitored weather events and relayed this meteorological data from over 10,000 surface locations into a central processing center. The data was then incorporated into weather prediction models. It also carried a Space Environment Monitor and a Data Collection System, derived from those used on TIROS satellites.
GOES 1 was replaced by GOES 3, which was launched in 1978. After finishing operations over the Indian Ocean, it was moved to replace SMS-2 over the Pacific Ocean. It remained operational there until it was deactivated by NASA on March 7, 1985.